Captain William Joseph Blazkowicz (pronounced "Blaz-ko-vitz", proper Polish pronunciation "Blaz-ko-vitch"), also known to his friends and allies as B. J. and Blazko, is the protagonist of the Wolfenstein series, with the exception of Castle Wolfenstein, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. He is an American secret agent of the OSA (Office of Secret Actions) and is known for his many exploits against the Nazi war machine in Europe.

Contents

Background

Wolfenstein 3D & RTCW has him characterized as come from Western to Midwestern US, possibly Milwaukee, Wisconsin (the various actors who portray him have essentially west coast Hollywood/California accents). He is wise cracking smart alack adventurer described by the developers of The New Order as "a Nathan Drake-type of character."[12] However, Machine Games excised this characterization in place giving a good-ol boys Southern background, more down to earth. The background has him having grown up near Forney Lake, Texas, possibly currently last living in Mesquite, Texas, and he is noteably a Texan. He enjoys a good summer barbecue. This change of character appears to be an Easter Egg in itself as a nod to the original founding location of ID Software.

Not heavily discussed in the games: He was originally intended to be full Polish, although there has been some speculation that he was of Jewish descent. Some of the earlier developers have admitted originally he was only intended to be Polish, but there has been some discussion even among the producers that he is also Jewish, and that his mother was Jewish, and his father was Polish.[13] This has had very little influence in earlier games stories, but potentially supported in The New Order in which B.J. knows portions of the Hebrew alphabet. However, his heritage is not ever stated specifically in the game, other than that he is "American" and from Texas. The developers at MachineGames refused to say if he was Jewish or not, and chose leave his background vague, to allow the players to 'interpret' for themselves[14]. If he is of Polish descent or of mixed-ancestry his backstory has evolved over time, and still remains 'unclear' even by the new developers. During the game however, J, implies that Blazkowicz is a 'white' American, and not Jewish, as he states that B.J.'s kind were the first to turn on the Blacks and Jews, when the Nazis took over.

The visual graphic novels created to promote Wolfenstein claim a continuous timeline with the order Spear of Destiny - Return to Castle Wolfenstein - Wolfenstein 3D and finally Wolfenstein (or SoD, Wolf 3-D, RTCW, and then Wolfenstein 2009), but the games themselves do not acknowledge much of this; other than part 4 ties directly into the introduction of the 2009 game explaining how B.J. boarded the Tirpitz, how he got the uniform and medallion, where the intro in the game begins. In the game, Anton Kriege mentions the Spear of Destiny after learning about Blazkowick's past with the OSA. The graphic novels contain numerous compressed events which differ from the original games. However an easter egg in The New Order suggests a similar situation (Nightmare)), in which Wolfenstein 3D is part of his past. There is also 'artwork' of his Eisenfaust escape from Castle Wolfenstein. When Gamespot asked if Mecha-Hitler would be in Wolfenstein: The New Order, they were told that B.J. had already defeated him in Wolfenstein 3D (but that he was still possibly alive). It was suggested to them that events of Wolf 3-D were still canon.[15] This may have been hinted at in the Nightmare, that B.J. is able to have in the Kreissau HQ, and the series of nightmares leading up to Hans Grosse "first" (or second) defeat in The Old Blood. The newspaper article within The Old Blood; Wolfenstein Assassin Faces Execution, also is a reference to the earlier encounter/assasination attempt between B.J. and Hitler in Wolfenstein 3D.

However, it is possible that very little of Wolfenstein (2009) was utilized as part of plot of Wolfenstein: The New Order. "...we asked him if the last Activision Wolfenstein game had any baring on their version to which he replied, "No it does not. We try not to include that game as part of our story. Personally, I think that Activision did a crap job." In fact the designers claimed to be more of a fan of the original game in the series instead Wolfenstein 3D.

Wolfenstein RPG while mostly light-hearted and humorous in itself (due to censorship), is set in the iD Universe timeline which incorporates most of the id Software products in one universe. Wolfenstein RPG also serves as prequel to the Doom series (including Doom, Doom II, Doom 3 & Doom RPG games[16]). The ID universe timeline combines elements of both the RTCW and original timeline, Commander Keen, and general Doom series, and Quake mixed together.

William Joseph Blazkowicz was born in the United States (possibly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) on August 15, 1911, the son of two Polish immigrants. He was a top OSA agent and Captain during World War II.[17] He was relatively muscular in appearance standing 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[18][19] in height and weighing 245 pounds (111 kg).[18][19] William was called "B.J." by his friends. B.J.'s exploits in the Wolfenstein series centers on his missions to thwart the Nazi war machine by foiling it's special projects and assassinating key members. He was deployed at least 14 different times behind enemy lines, culminating in an operation that marked an end to the War. These deeds, earned him the Medal of Honor. After the War, he got married to movie star Julia Marie Peterson at age 40, and had a son. His grandson is William Joseph Blazkowicz II who came to be known as Commander Keen.

Note: most of the backstory and after war history of B.J. has only appeared in trivia sections of manuals and, strategy guides but never confirmed in any of the games in the series. Only the Nocturnal Missions in the MS-DOS version of Wolf 3D, mentions after events of those missions he went onto marry a movie star, but contextually seems to place the marriage before Hitler's defeat and the end of the war. The details going as far as tieing him to Commander Keen originated out of a series bible, but never fully utilized in the games themselves. It does get a reference in the RTCW manual (as "Lore"), and Wolfenstein 3D Classic states specifically in the extras triva menu that B.J. is Commander Keen's grandfather, "KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY: BJ is Commander Keen's grandfather."

Appearance

Blazkowicz's appearance changes slightly with each game he appeared in, though the generally consistent description of him is that of a large, muscular man with blonde/brownish-blonde hair, chiseled square jaw and blue eyes. B. J. is often depicted to be shirtless, exposing his impressive musculature.

As far as his visual appearance goes, B.J. in The New Order is designed to look closer to how he was in Wolfenstein 3D & Spear of Destiny (light brown hair, and massive build). Whereas B.J. in the RPG is designed to look more like he did in RTCW, and in particular Wolfentein 2009 (dark brown hair and leather jacket).

Original Encounter (prequel to Wolf3D in the Mac Family, aka "2nd Encounter" on Jaguar/Mac/3DO/Apple IIGS, based on the SNES version. Ultimately tells the story of of B.J.'s first battle with Adolf Hitler at Castle Wolfenstein. Note: The Wolfenstein Graphic Novel shares similarities to this version.)

During the War

B.J. participated in about 14 war operations for the OSA[20]. The most notable of which are the Spear of Destiny operation, the second Spear of Destiny operation (as revealed in the mission packs), a mission centered on the destruction of Nazi chemical weapons program (Wolfenstein 3D Nocturnal Missions), a mission against the Nazi's mutant enforcers production, his first Original Encounter (Mac Family) with Adolf Hitler himself, and, ultimately, an second attempted assassination of Hitler (in Wolf 3-D). During these operations, B.J. killed or defeated many key members of Nazi war machine (sometimes more than once), including General Fettgesicht, Dr. Schabbs, Dr. Quarkblitz, Otto Giftmacher, The Axe, and Barnacle Wilhelm, defeated mutant soldiers and specially breeded attack bats, battled Nazi enforcers including Grosse family, Death Knight and a prototype Robot. However, the most dangerous battles he fought (excluding Adolf Hitler himself) were the battles against demonic entities from Hell. B.J. singlehandedly defeated the Angel of Death, a creature determined to test his skills, and the Devil Incarnate, a vile monster summoned by Hitler after the second Spear of Destiny capture by Nazis. In the end, B.J. fought a final fight against the fuhrer, who enhanced himself magically and technologically, but nevertheless failed to kill OSA's bravest agent. Hitler's death marked an end to the War.

Descendants (Non-Canon)

After the war, B.J. married Julia Marie Peterson, and had a son named Arthur Kenneth Blazkowicz, who went on to become a television talk show host in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Arthur changed his last name to Blaze because it was better for his talk show. He married Susan Elizabeth McMichaels and had a son, who they named William Joseph Blazkowicz II, after Arthur's father, and who was known by the nickname of "Billy Blaze". Billy Blaze is the protagonist of Commander Keen, a cartoonish side scrolling adventure also by id Software.[21]

Placing of Events

Due to the fact that there have multiple versions of the Wolfenstein games, with alternate manuals, changes to backstories, or different cutscenes, or time placements: The placing of scenarios in regards to dating and time is unclear. With some sources implying that Spear of Destiny occurred just before Nocturnal Missions, or others which might suggest that they were years apart. The Wolfenstein 3D Classic version for example implies that all events occurred during the month of February in 1945, although other sources suggest that some of the events could have occurred as early as 1940, or in 1942 (even placing the encounter with Hitler earlier in the timeline as early as 1942/43, as sort of a retelling of one of the many attempts on Hitler's life), some versions of the games even have B.J. attempting to take out Hitler twice (Original Encounter), and versions where the outcome to Hitler's battles were left unclear (one version where he was definitely killed, and other versions that might suggest he survived only to commit suicide later).

Wolfenstein 3D Classic (and to a lesser degree Tides of War's unlocked "second campaign" version before it) goes beyond simply being a port, but reimagines the game as part of the rebooted series tieing him into the OSA, and also including artwork taken from or inspired by RTCW and its later sequel. The Wolfenstein Graphic novels suggest Hitler was believed to have been killed or at least defeated, and Heinrich I was resurrected to replace him. In The Old Blood it places the events of Wolfenstein 3D some point before 1946, but is not specific. It suggests Hitler survived his assassination, recovered, and suggests that accounts of his death and B.J.'s escape were vicious rumors, and that the Nazis recaptured and punished B.J. for the attempt.

RTCW series

Note: Both RTCW and the 2009 game were treated as partial 'reboots' of the franchise (with Wolfenstein also being treated as taking place in a Parallel WWII history). Each reinterprets the series and its timeline in various ways see, Timeline.

Note: Spear of Destiny/Wolf 3D are referenced in Wolfenstein (2009). RTCW strategy guide also makes references to the previous games as previous events. Wolf 3D is included as a second campaign in the Tides of War edition of RTCW.

These games more or less keep B.J. as a wisecracking midwesterner (hometown Milwaukee), and an action-adventurer (with an Indiana Jones vibe).

His original backstory is only mentioned in passing the manual for Return to Castle Wolfenstein as part of the "Wolfenstein Lore"[22]. No claim is made that this lore is actually true in the RtCW timeline (however part of it including his birthdate is noted on his OSA id seen in the manual and in game's introduction). It should be noted similary the backstory has only appeared as a sideline (referenced and said to be part of the 'development'/'production' bible) in previous strategy guides for the classic games as well, but not necessarily directly referenced as part of any of the early games (with the exception of maybe a reference to B.J. marrying an unnamed movie star at the end of the Nocturnal Missions campaign (but that would change the dating of his marriage significantly from when it was said to be in the development backstory). The strategy guide for RTCW might suggest that this history is still 'part of RTCW's' history by placing the events of the older games in the same timeline, Operation Return to Castle Wolfenstein. However, Wolfenstein 3D Classic (which turns Wolf 3D into a tie-in to the RTCW games) makes the fact that BJ is Commander Keen's grandfather more explicit in the extras trivia menu.

Cursed Sands (aka Tides of War/Operation Resurrection)

In 1943, days before his capture and escape from Castle Wolfenstien and the death of Agent One, B.J. is reassigned from his post in Libya, to work with Agent One in Egypt to spy on Helga von Bulow.

Tides of War places Return to Castle Wolfenstein as a 'first campaign' before B.J.'s 'second campaign', Wolfenstein 3D (similar to the later released Wolf 3D Classic).

In Return to Castle Wolfenstein, B.J.'s (age 31) main goal is to thwart the resurrection of an ancient warlord and necromancer known as Heinrich I. On his way to accomplish the mission, B.J. sabotages an experimental Nazi missile, encounters undead warriors, and comes face to face with Wilhelm Strasse (a.k.a. Deathshead) and his fearsome Ubersoldat project, centered on creating cyborg warriors from humans. Even though the Nazis succeeded in bringing Heinrich I to life, B.J. managed to destroy the undead warlord.

Deathshead does refer to B.J. as 'Agent Blazkowicz' in the cutscene before the first 'Uber Soldat' fight in Deathshead's Playground, Mission 3 - Super Soldier. Although the rest of the time he refer B.J. as 'The American' The exact quote: "Ah, Agent Blazkowicz, is it? You are a most impressive specimen. it will be my pleasure to dissect you piece by piece."

B.J. seems to prefer a Thompson, the gun appears in the concept art in both RtCW and Wolfenstein.

Wolfenstein 3D Classic

OSA super agent B.J. Blazkowicz (age 33) must escape from Castle Wolfenstein and defeat the twisted Nazi regime! This game places the events after RTCW (similar to Tides of War).

B.J.'s backstory is rewritten to include him as a member of the OSA, and tie it into RTCW and the then upcoming Wolfenstein game. Artwork is a mix of RTCW and sprites modified to look somewhat closer to his appearance in Wolfenstein (2009) and RTCW (darker hair). The game gives the date for campaign ad February 1945, placing Hitler's defeat after 1943 (a change from the suggested order given in the RTCW strategy guide, but this would appear to be changed back by the later Graphic Novels). It would also seem to imply that Spear of Destiny takes place in 1945 as well (later Graphic Novels would seem to have moved it back to 1940 instead, however). There is no descriptive outcomes for the various boss enemies that B.J. encounters Wolfenstein 2009, leaving the various characters outcomes vague, though the "death/defeat" animations remain the same. The New Order and The Old Blood both make nods to a few events or details from these games.

The original backstory including ties to Commander Keen are mentioned a trivia section.

Tides of War also places Wolf 3D as BJs "second campaign" after RTCW' when it is unlocked playing the main campaign.

The exact dates when Wolfenstein takes place is not mentioned in the game, but dates found in the game include dated events as early as late 1944 but as late as 1945. This game was marketed as a semi-reboot of the series and what-if, and alternate timeline story in as much as how it reinterpreted its use of the Kreisau Circle, and other details (although it took elements of previous games in the series).

In Wolfenstein, B.J. again comes face to face with SS paranormal division. This time, he, after the destruction of a massive Nazi battleship, recovers a Thule Medallion which is a key to a parallel world known as Black Sun Dimension, which is in turn the source of Veil energy for the next of their ultimate project. B.J. is tasked to enter the city of Isenstadt, where the major Thule ruins are located. Here, SS paranormal division, led by General Zetta, is trying to acquire the Black Sun mystic powers to aid the Reich in their goal of world domination. This time, the Germans knew he is coming, and he will have to fight his way out once he arrived. B.J. uses medallion, augmented by Thule crystals (or Nachtsnnoe Crystals), as his primary weapon against Nazi's Veil experiments. Together with the local resistance, B.J. succeeds in assassinating General Zetta, but ended up facing his old enemy, Wilhelm Strasse, who takes over Black Sun operation. In the end, B.J. succeeds in ruining the Nazi plans, with a final battle fought against "greatest soldier of 3rd Reich", Hans Grosse, equipped with an armoured suit with twin rocket launcher / minigun hybrids and a Thule medallion similar to B.J.'s. Despite all attempts to eliminate Wilhelm Strasse, the scientist, again, managed to escape.

B.J in Wolfenstein (2009).

In cut-scenes his English voice actor is Peter Jessop, who voiced Albert Wesker in the original Resident Evil. The M1911 pistol he occasionally used in Return to Castle Wolfenstein appears in the opening sequence on the Tirpitz, but is discarded there. For the rest of the game his signature weapon is an unupgraded MP 40. In the cover art, he is shown holding a Thompson, but the gun never appears in the game.

Much like references in the Return to Castle Wolfenstein guides (see Operation Return to Castle Wolfenstein/Welcome Back, Soldier) placed the older games as prequels to RTCW, there is material that places the older games as 'prequels' to Wolfenstein (2009): Activision released a number of graphic novels, prologue trailers, and a special release of Wolfenstein 3D called the Classic edition which retconned (technically the guides for RTCW did this first) the Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny into the backstory for Wolfenstein (2009) as some of B.J.'s missions for the OSA. However, it should be noted the manual for Return to Castle Wolfenstein hinted at those games being part of the same 'universe' as well (although at the time RTWC seemed to suggest that it followed the original game bible timeline), and the game even utilized B.J. original date of birth in 1911.

Even within Wolfenstein 2009 are a number of references to the old games. Including a reference to OSA and B.J. being connected to the recovery of the Spear of Destiny, and that Germans have records of B.J. being tall and having blonde hair during some of his missions against them.

In addition the Graphic Novels 'reimagines' the series as a series of records kept by the Nazis (Fourth Reich), when placed in Chronological order put Spear of Destiny, RTCW, and Wolfenstein 3D as previous events in the series (the exact order of RTCW and Wolf 3D are less clear and might be interchangeable, with the 'death' of Hitler, being the reason why they were looking into resurrecting Heinrich to be the new leader of the Reich, and sticking closer to the RTCW strategy guide's order of events), then leading into the destruction of the SS Tirpitz just before the events of Wolfenstein 2009. It introduces a number of things including B.J.'s 'first' encounter with Hans Grosse (in the original timeline technically B.J. encountered Hans Grosse on several occasions). As a reimagining some artistic license is taken. The adaptation of Wolfenstein 3D actually strongly follows after the Mac Family versions of the game rather than the original version, so it fits more into the Original Encounter prequel to Wolfenstein 3D.

This New Order/Old Blood superceded, and changed the timeline in a different direction, where the Nazis won and dominated the world 14 years after the war (but it also reimagines several other details including changing his hair color, giving him a different American accent and changing his home birth location, as well as changes to his personality).[23]

Wolf 3D is referenced in The New Order and The Old Blood games as previous events. But in all situations the references may have reimagined the outcomes (in the Old Blood, Hitler has seemingly survived B.J.'s attack on him for example (assuming the newspaper isn't pure propaganda), see List of Newspapers (The OId Blood)). Some elements of those games simply do not exist in the Old Blood/New Order timeline (end of the war/marriage to Marie Patterson).

Much of B.J.'s background is completely reimagined in this series. He was born in the United States, approximately early part of 1911 (before-March or early March). As a child BJ grew up on a farm near Forney Lake, Texas. He once swam in the Gulf during red tide despite his father's command not to. It caused his skin to burn. At age eleven he once swam across the lake on a dare for tin soldiers. At 13, he fell into a pond near his family's stable, and was covered in leeches. At 19, he fell into the family well, in order to try to salvage his father's watch. His father was apparently abusive, and used to lock him the closet when he was bad, where he lost track of time. Still, he remembers good times, seeing Mesquite at sunset, and the country music he used to play back home. He later went onto work for his cousin in Mesquite, where he earned his first dollar.

During the The New Order, he also remembers a select number of events from RTCW from his Texan perspective, and a number of his actions during RTCW, and Wolfenstein (2009) are alluded to via notes in the journal as well.

In 1943, BJ, age 32 (a bit older than he actually was in RTCW, either a goof or a retcon to his birthdate) travelled to Deathshead's X-Labs to destroy then. As the Old Blood reimagines a number of characters from RTCW, and B.J.'s relationship to them, the exact details in relation to B.J.'s own history are unknown, except that they may still be loosely still part of B.J.'s past (in the Old Blood there is a reference to BJ having been to Wulfburg in the past, and gone to a safehouse there). Presumably B.J. originally escaped Castle Wolfenstein with Richard Wesley (see Wesley co-op mode) may not have met Ludwig Kessler personally, but only previous contact over radio, and other communication methods (in RTCW Kessler, and B.J. met personally at the tram station).

B.J. did make an attempt on Adolf Hitler's life, after an escape from Castle Wolfenstein (and defeating Hans Grösse), leading to him being known as the Wolfenstein Assassin. Rumors believe he injured the Fuhrer and escaped. In January 3, 1946, it is claimed that Hitler made a speech claiming the rumors were false, and that the assassin was recaptured, and hung recently. Although this was proven to be propaganda (or at least B.J. survived being hung, and escaped again).

BJ at the Asylum in Wolfenstein: The New Order

The Old Blood

In 1946, B.J. and Richard Wesley were sent to Castle Wolfenstein within the German Alps in order to retrieve a top secret folder, which contains information on the whereabouts of Deathshead's Compound. Disguised as SS officers, B.J. and Wesley infiltrate and arrive in the castle in a cable car, then continue to the office of Helga von Schabbs. When Wesley finds the safe, but no folder, he tells B.J. to radio Kessler which he reveals that he has new information regarding the folder and that he will meet them at his tavern. After radioing Kessler, Nazi troops interrupt the agents and B.J. engages the troops before Wesley can get a ladder for him to ascend up to the catwalk. Ad both agents leave the office via a vent, they both are captured by Rudi Jäger, accompanied by his dog Greta and a Super Soldier.

Sent into the holding cells of the castle, Blazkowicz manages to escape with the help of a pipe which he uses as a weapon. He goes through the asylum wing of the castle and evades the jaws of a Panzerhund, as well as the various super soldiers guarding the prison. Blazkowicz manages to secure a boat and rearms himself before leaving for the Docks. Arriving at the docks, B.J. engages various soldiers while opening the keep to the castle. He manages to infiltrate the keep and fight off the various troops guarding the interior of the castle before finding Wesley after being tortured by Rudi in a surgical theater, strapped in an electric chair.

Blazkowicz is captured once again by Rudi who straps him in the chair while trying to interrogate him. The interrogation doesn't go so well, however B.J. manages to break free, electrocute Rudi in the chair and then kill his dog Greta, who was snacking on the Wesley's body. Before killing the various forces sent by a vengeful Rudi, Blazkowicz manages to escape and heads for the cable car port while taking on more Nazi forces in the castle. Despite their best attempts to kill him, B.J. manages to survive and continue his escape.

Blazkowicz arrives in Paderborn Village where he meets with Annette Krause and Kessler at the tavern and has to hold off several squads of Nazis before combating Rudi. Upon Rudi's death, Blazkowicz escapes the tavern's destruction as Rudi was armed with powerful explosives which didn't activate until his death. B.J., Kessler and Annette all leave in a rowboat heading for Wulfburg to meet up with another contact known as Agent Two. Upon their arrival, B.J. headed for Agent Two's location at a baker shop and finds that it's Pippa Sheperd who is his contact. She tells him Helga is at the Wulfburg Tavern where he heads to and poses as a waiter in order to get close to Helga and leave with the folder.

While trying to leave with the folder under his tray, B.J. is stopped by Helga and ordered by her to taste the wine. After she tastes it, Helga is outraged by the fact that the wine wasn't to her satisfaction and orders Blazkowicz to drink it. B.J.'s cover is blown when Helga takes her kitchen knife and stabs him in the hand and orders Emmerich Schreiner to keep him covered. Blazkowicz manages to pull the knife out and stabs Schreiner with it and obtains his Handgun before he is hit by debris from the ceiling caused by an earthquake. B.J. gets up and heads back to Pippa, but encounters several Shamblers along the way.

Upon his arrival, Blazkowicz witnesses the death of Pippa at the hands of a shambler and kills it before obtaining his weapons. At the same time, he also saw Pippa come back as a shambler and killed her before leaving. Engaging more undead along the way, B.J. finds himself utilizing a Laderoboter to get him passed various obstacles in the way before arriving to the dig site. B.J. arrives at the dig site and continues into the caves where he finds Von Schabbs and Schreiner in the chamber housing The Monstrosity. B.J. combats the monster and kills it, then heads to see a wounded Helga and obtains the folder. Before leaving, he is buried underneath several rocks, but is rescued by Fergus Reid and other allied troops before heading to R.A.F Kinloss where they board an aircraft and head of Deathshead's compound.

The New Order

In 1946. B.J. and the allied soldiers launch an assault against Deathshead. After crash landing on the beach, B.J. and his team eventually climb to the castle. They suddenly fall into a room which is a testing facility for Deathshead. They struggle to escape incineration and enter a strange room. They fight and kill Deathshead's UberSoldat.

Private Wyatt soon realizes that they are trapped. He hears someone approaching the door. The small window opens and reveals a very old Deathshead. The walls start closing on B.J. and choke him until unconsciousness. He wakes up to see Super Soldiers holding Wyatt, Fergus, Prendergast and himself. He is forced to choose whether Wyatt or Fergus will be dissected by Deathshead, or else all four soldiers will be slaughtered. After his choice, Deathshead turns on the rooms fire system planning on incinerating the rest of the team with a Super Soldier standing guard in the room. He and his team manages to escape after B.J kills said Super Soldier and damage the fire system before they are immolated. They all jump out of the window, just as the room explodes and sends several pieces of shrapnel out of the window. A small piece of metal enters B.J.'s brain, and he immediately falls unconscious into the sea below.

He is later picked up by a fishing boat and left at the asylum in Poland. B.J. slowly starts to awaken causing psychotropic illness. In 1960, Nazi forces lead by Keller make a final visit to shut down the asylum. Just as the main nurse Anya Oliwa was feeding him, the troops storm into the ward and starts executing patients. Anya's parents intervene and struggle with the Commando as B.J. grabs a kitchen knife. The Commando overpowers both of Anya's parents and they execute them. Anya is taken away. The Commando kills the rest of the patients and gets ready to shoot B.J. In a fit of rage, he stands up and slices the Commando's neck, muttering "Nazi scum."

While dealing with weakened muscles from lack of use, B.J. battles his way through the asylum and finds Anya. He drives to Anya's grandparents' house. He finds out that during his recovery the Allies lost World War II, with the United States surrendering after atomic bomb attacks, and that Nazis rule the world. B.J. appears older than past installments with light-brown hair (which draws more upon his classic look) and has a mass brutal appearance. B.J. and Anya's grandparents help him clear the east station to travel into Berlin and manage to make it onto the train. In the middle of the night, B.J. makes coffee, but before he can return to the cabin, he is stopped by Frau Engel, a high-ranking female member of the Nazi military, and her lover Bubi and questioned on his national race. forced to go along with the callous tests, which focus on choosing between specific cards to determine his status as an Aryan. B.J. can choose to steal the gun from the table, although he would be quickly gunned down by Frau's private guard. Regardless of which cards B.J. chooses in the test, she places a gun in his face, though she reveals the cards as nothing more than old war pictures and vacation photos, with the test being nothing more than her morbidly gleeful exercise. She remarks that if he wasn't true Aryan, he would have gone for the gun and she could spot an "impure" person just by looking at them. Now in the clear, B.J. leaves the two and returns to his cabin with Anya waiting there. The two share a quiet moment before and end up making love as a respite from the tribulations they've experienced.

After arriving in Berlin, the two stay in a hotel room near the infamous "secret police headquarters," known for brutal enhanced interrogations before sending their captives to Eisenwald prison. Anya, acting as a distraction, manages to buy B.J. enough time to sneak on top of a prison transport vehicle, and sneaks into the prison once they've arrived.

According to the official Wolfenstein website:

In 1946, with the tides of WWII turning dramatically in favor of the Nazi war machine, the desperate allied forces set out to shift back the momentum with one last ditch attempt; an assault on the deathshead compound. The operation goes wildly awry; and Captain Blazkowicz ends up in a comatose state on account of a traumatic injury. He somehow survives but lives on an empty shell of his former self in a mental asylum for fourteen years. Until a fateful day in 1960.

According to the Internet Movie Database Blazkowicz is voiced by the well-known voice actor Brian Bloom in "Wolfenstein: The New Order".

The New Colossus

Following the death of Deathshead, B.J. was significantly injured. Despite this, he survived the destruction of

BJ awakes from his 5 months coma

the compound and was rescued by Kreisau Circle before the compound was engulfed in a nuclear explosion. However, according to Set, his injuries put him the coma for 5 months and he also suffers kidney failure, which forces him to use a tube to pee. During this time, Frau Engel and her death squad attacks the Eva's Hammer to kill BJ. Despite the valiant resistance from the Kreisau circle, the entire submarine was overwhelmed and BJ was captured just after he wakes up and fights his way through the Nazi. Fortunately, he manages to break through Engel's gasp and drives the Nazi out of the Eva's Hammer. After regrouping with his comrade, he manages to get to the US and begins to launch a Second American Revolution.

It's revealed that Anya was carrying Blazkowicz' twin children, Fergus was also briefly seen. Furthermore, according to Irene, his action against the Nazi had inspired thousands of people around the world to rise up against the Nazi and he also becomes a symbol of hope and rebellion for all the oppressive people in the concentration camp, which makes Irene tries to execute him in international live broadcast to crush their hope.

Links to other Wolfenstein Games

As mentioned, Machine Games did not have much care for the 2009 game itself, but were more fans of the original Wolfenstein. Gamespot asked if Mecha-Hitler would be in Wolfenstein: The New Order, they were told that BJ had already defeated him Wolfenstein 3D (but that he was still possibly alive). It was suggested to them that events of Wolfenstein 3D were still canon.[23] This may have been hinted at in the Nightmare, that B.J. is able to have in the Kreissau HQ. This remains somewhat similar to the situation with the 2009 releases. The released Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has even more references to the old series (to those who understand them[24])

The Old Blood does indeed make references to events of Wolfenstein 3D, both the Escape from Castle Wolfenstein, and one of the earlier encounters between B.J. and Hans Grosse via fragmented nightmares, and also makes reference to B.J.'s assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler and possibly severely injuring the dictator. Forcing the dictator to claim he was ok, sometime later. Though elements of this may also make reference to the Original Encounter/Mac Family events as well (where the attempt took place at Castle Wolfenstein, though its unclear).

Wolfenstein RPG (ID Universe)

Wolfenstein RPG is part of an over-arching ID universe timeline that is included as part of the other Wolfenstein games, as well as Doom, Commander Keen, Quake, and other ID games. As confirmed in the Doom RPG website.[24] So it is intended to be part of the same timeline and includes all the FPS Wolfenstein games up to RTCW, and possibly Wolfenstein. The timeline overlaps the classic timeline and assumes that the allies won at the end of the war, B.J. went back to Milwaukee and married a movie star, etc. In this timeline, he would have descendents leading to Commander Keen, and later the Doom Marines.

Therefore, while Wolfenstein 3D (and possibly Spear of Destiny) have been reinterpreted as part of the New Order/Old Blood timeline, it is unknown if a reinterpreted version of the RPG's events would fit into the alternate New Order/Old Blood universe (though there is a easter egg nod to Doom in The Old Blood, see Cacodemon), assuming B.J. survived after events New Order, and that any future descendents are born from Anya.

Background

The mobile title, Wolfenstein RPG borrows many elements from both Original and Remake titles (Wolfenstein and RTCW/Wolfenstein and Doom I/II and Doom 3) and is part of the more comprehensive id Universe timeline. B.J. is suggested to be the same character, only this time he is not only solo super agent, but an OSA sergeant in charge of a team of rangers. During the war, he is sent, along with his team, to infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein and stop Nazi's Special Weapons and Paranormal Division's plan to win the war by any means possible, even using weapons of mass destruction. It is revealed in the end of game that Wolfenstein RPG is a prequel to the Doom RPG series (Doom RPG and Doom II RPG). There are also nods within the RPG series as a whole that future events such as Phobos invasion, and invasion of Earth may occur in the future (nods/homages to the Doom I and II respectively). The website for Doom RPG even admits that it is set in the same universe as Doom I, II, and 3.

In the beginning of the operation, B.J.'s squad is captured by Nazis. He managed to escape, though, and starts his solo crusade against the 3rd Reich. On his way from prison tower to Castle Wolfenstein, he battles Nazi soldiers, troopers and officers, encounters mystically resurrected undead warriors whom later end up being under Nazi control, defeats monstrous Olaric (RPG), fights special female unit, Elite Guards, and their leader Marianna. On his way, B.J. is aided by his captured comrades, local civilians and a Spy whom he actually dislikes. Another notable character is a madman named Gunther who is willing to play a card game with B.J.. The Nazis are performing experiments with serums, which effects range from fear and anger to regeneration. When he arrives in Castle Wolfenstein, B.J. fights Super Soldiers, cybernetic warriors created by RPG's version of Dr. Schabbs. B.J. even fights the Spy in a personal hand-to-hand combat, defeating him and forcing the guy to run away. Eventually B.J. reveals that Paranormal Devision's plan is to summon Harbinger and use him to control undead and demonic beings. Harbinger is none other than Cyberdemon from Doom series. The Spy advises B.J. to find an artifact known as the Spear of Destiny in order to strike down the demon, and the artifact is soon found in the hands of Gunther the madman. The ultimate fight is fought against the demon, whom, upon defeated, promises to return one day (in Doom RPG).

Military Rankings

Throughout his life as a soldier; Blazkowicz is known to have achieved several military rankings.

E-3 Private First Class: The ranking listed on his OSA identity card in the manual.

Sergeant: At one point, Blazkowicz was promoted to Sergeant during his time with the US Army Rangers in World War 2. This early on during his commanding commission and his agent status for the O.S.A. (as seen in Wolfenstein RPG)

2nd Lt. Listed on his old style US War Department ID Card (issued between Apr 16, 1941, 1942 or 1943. However, it might also say 3rd Lt.).

Captain: By Wolfenstein 3D, B.J. is promoted to the ranking of Captain and remained that way to the end of World War 2. Even during his missions as an O.S.A agent, Blazkowicz was a captain and continued that way. Even during the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order, several people called Blazkowicz by his ranking.

Skills and Abilities

Peak Human Condition: B.J. is shown to be durable enough to survive a grenade explosion at close range, strong enough break out of the metal restraints of an electric chair and dual wield large guns such as assault rifles or shotguns, as well as enduring a massive dosage of tranquilizer which (according to Bubi) is powerful enough to knock out an elephant. B.J. is also surprisingly fast and agile for someone his size, being able to jump incredible distances, fit into tight spaces, and outmaneuver opponents and the environment. B.J. is in such excellent shape, that age hasn't slowed him down one bit.

Weapon Proficiency: B.J. is skilled in the use of multiple types of weaponry. He can even aim accurately while dual wielding or even while using wheelchair. He is also skilled in the use of knives.

Stealth: B.J. is capable of sneaking up on enemies in order to kill them with high precision and skill. His stealth skill is most effective with the use of a knife(s) or a silenced handgun.

Nicknames

Johnny Cowboy - One of several western themed nicknames given to B.J. by Klaus Kreutz due to the fact that B.J. is American and a Texan in the The New Order.

Blazko

Pathfinder

Castle Wolfenstein Assassin (aka Castle Wolfenstein terrorist)

Billy Boy

Terror Billy

Personality & Traits

Throughout the entire series, B.J. has always hated the Nazis and what they do to others. He lives to rid the world of them once and for all, as they're a constant threat to himself and his allies. He's a very loyal soldier, who doesn't rest until his job is done.

Relationships (New Order/Old Blood)

Richard Wesley

Ludwig Kessler

Anette Krause

Pippa Shepherd

Anya Oliwa

During Wolfenstein: The New Order, B.J. is shown to have started a relationship with Anya Oliwa, the latter having cared for him at her family's mental hospital over the last 14 years. This was first seen after he returned to their room with two cups of coffee on the train headed for Berlin. Later on, if the player is on the Fergus[26] Timeline, B.J. can sleep in a bed upstairs. After a couple times, the player can watch a cutscene with both Anya and B.J. asleep in bed before B.J. starts talking with Tekla and teaches her how to use a gun. The final scene is after the mission to save Set Roth from Camp Belica and retrieval of the blowtorch in Kreisau Circle HQ. The cutscene shows Anya asking B.J. if he has a moment and they both go into a room and make love.

By Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, B.J. had not only survived his battle with Deathshead, but has also taken Anya as his wife. He also realized she and him were going to be parents to twins.

Caroline Becker

Blazkowicz treated her as the professional and best friend since they share the same fate of suffering psychotropic illness that couldn't accept the Nazi have won the war in World War II. Thus, they together are ready to take on the German Dominion to take back everything that they have lost.

Fergus Reid

A former Allied soldier during World War 2 who worked with Blazkowicz in their attempts to kill Deathshead, Fergus Reid is one of the many allies B.J. has respect for in his life. Even 14 years after, B.J. and Fergus' relationship remains intact, yet later on Reid blames B.J. for Wyatt's death. Despite this, they both work very well together.

Klaus Kreutz

Upon entering the Kreisau Circle HQ, B.J. saw Klaus Kreutz, a former Nazi turned resistance fighter. Their relationship starts rocky due to the fact that B.J. almost killed him when he saw Kreutz's Nazi tattoos. Klaus also has some problems with B.J.'s methods including using a circular saw on some molded Über Concrete which Max Hass found irritating. Klaus also had problems with B.J.'s physical relationship with Anya stating "Again with this shit! What's wrong with these people?". Aside from that, Klaus sort of grew on B.J. and they had a mutual respect for each other until his death.

Max Hass

Upon arriving at the Kreisau Circle headquarters, B.J. meets up with Max Hass who is taken care of by Klaus Kreutz. B.J. has shown to be more caring and patient towards Max due to his disability and Max reciprocates that respect.

Set Roth

Since freeing him from Camp Belica, B.J. has shown to have a professional relationship with Da'at Yichud member Set Roth, despite him being annoyed with some of Set's requests.

Tekla

B.J. met Telka after arriving at Kreisau Circle HQ in Berlin. Tekla doesn't take kindly to Blazkowicz immediately due to him being a so called "Anomaly" in her model. B.J. however finds that Tekla is a bit awkward and creepy at first, yet later warms to her. He even teaches her how to work and handle a gun, which helps her take down several Nazis before she died.

J

Despite being both Americans, B.J. and J didn't really speak with each other or connect until after B.J. returns to the Kreisau Resistance base from an assignment, and B.J. uses his workbench. J expresses his feelings about how his childhood was in America before the Nazis won, talking about how segregation impacted him, and even likening B.J. to a Nazi for being part of the American government. This makes B.J. very angry with him, telling J to be careful of what he calls him. Despite this, before leaving, J asks B.J. if he plays guitar. He lends one of his guitars to B.J. so he can play, as well as introducing him to recreational drugs with a combination of music.

Descendants

B.J.'s great, great, great, grandson is B.J. Blazkowicz III, and he has another relative in Sergeant Stan Blazkowicz, both are marine in the Doom RPG series. Blazkowicz III is also the same marine from Doom 1-3.

After B.J. defeats the Harbinger, he tells B.J. that he will fight his great, great, great, grandson in the future. The Harbinger becomes the Cyberdemon in the Doom RPG series, who retains the injuries inflicted by B.J.

Artists Credit

The 2009's Wolfenstein rendition of Blazkowicz was created by Jason Kane working as a digital sculptor at Raven Software.

Trivia

In Wolfenstein, B.J. appears to be more Asian-like rather than a Caucasian.

In Wolfenstein: The New Order, B.J. spells out Da'at Yichud by using the original World War 2 style Phonetic Alphabet used by the Allies during that time, before it was replaced by the modern and more memorable NATO Phonetic Alphabet in 1956.

Beginning in Wolfenstein: The New Order, B.J. hails from Mesquite, Texas (not far from Dallas), this may or may not be a reference to game programmer and co-founder of id Software: John Carmack who's also from Mesquite.

Deathshead once bloated B.J. "won't get to see the swastika flying proudly over Washington D.C." in Wolfenstein. Ironically in Wolfenstein: The New Order B.J. is in vegetative state when Nazi conquers America.

References

↑The Spear of Destiny Graphic Novel places the event around July, 1940. In the Spear of Destiny hintbook, technically no date is given, but in real life history, Jean Moulin didn't become a resistance member until late 1940, or early 1941, and didn't become a leader in France until January 1942 (giving a potential date for the story between 1942-1943 (Moulin's death)). Also depends on if it takes place before or after August 11, BJ's birthday.

↑Mission 2 takes place 1 year after Mission 1, according to the hintbook. Also depends on if it takes place before or after August 11, BJ's birthday.

↑RTCW's timeline/hintbooks & Wolfenstein Graphic Novels seem to place a version of Hitler's Death similar to the Original Encounter before RTCW. But could be roughly within the same month or before original three episodes around the time rumors of Eisenfaust begin, so about January, 1945, based on Wolf3d Plantinum Edition dates.

↑1943 is 32 years after 1911, however the game takes place before his August 11 birthdate

↑In the New Order during the Catacombs/Sewers level B.J. states he was 32 when he swam inside the X-Labs, this would be a mistake however, as his birthdate would not occur for another few months as RTCW, takes place in March

↑the behind the scenes information, with ties to Fuhrererbunker under the Chancellery would seem to tie it to Eva Braun and Hitler's suicide and about April, 1945

↑Date not given in originally sources (other than the dates of about two random attempts on Hitler's life), this event depends on which attempt on Hitler's life, there were 14 known attempts, plus his 'suicide' in 1945. Wolfenstein 3D Classic places the mission in February, 1945

↑Date not given in game (but co-release of Wolfenstein Platinum Edition places Wolf3D in February, 1945), so 2009 must take place later in 1945, but could be as late as 1946, his age is not specifically given, but most dates in the game place all events after 1944 at least. His age will depend on if it takes place before August 11 his birthday.

↑specifically stated to take place in 1936, but it will matter if the game takes place before or after August 11

↑RTCW Manual, pg 12: "Wolfenstein Lore: According to original Wolfenstein 3D Hint Book, Captain William Joseph Blazkowicz was born August 15, 1911 to Polish immigrants. He married after WWII to Julie Marie Peterson. There son Arthur Kenneth Blazkowicz became a television talk show host in Milwakee and later changed his last name to Blaze."